What you need to think is the advantages Pakistan has and how can that lead to a long term solution so events like this dont repeat in future ?
Pakistan has technology, a variety of weapon arsenal as well as a sizeable field Army and a fair enough budget. How can that give advantage to Pakistan over Taliban who can run into mountains for next 20 Years (as seen during ISAF tenure) and then come back and take over the country.
Pakistan can bomb the hell out of them, push their infrastructure back a few more years, but what is vital for Taliban which could actually hurt them in the long run ? PAF can send 1000 sorties per day and create rubble after rubble, but are we playing a game of numbers, like Pakistan kills 500 TTA/TTP while Taliban kill 100 Pakistan soldeirs so does Pakistan win ? Vietnam war proves otherwise. VC had tunnels, Taliban have caves.
Whats the long term effective and practical solution ? No a day dream wish. And what are the steps to reach that solution?
Thanks for a thought-provoking post. Yes, we all indeed want a long lasting solution to the Afghan issue. However, I would beg to differ at several points in your post.
Please note that the case of ISAf was radically different from the current situation. In the former case, the ISAF was a foreign force, alien to the local culture, traditions, ethnic compositions and vulnerabilities, etc., came in to occupy Afghanistan. Keeping control of certain locations/roads was required for their logistics and security.
Another vital difference would be the sympathy for Afghan fighters in the population along Pak-Afghan and Iran-Afghan borders. American kicked their ass even in Tarabora, killing many of fleeing Taliban, and pushed them into Pakistan. Yes, it's true Taliban came back from mountains after many years and occupied almost the whole country again as soon as the ISAF left. That was possible only because there was no genuine Afghan government in place in Kabul. The puppets didn't take long to escape right after the ISAF flew out their last flight from Bagram.
Pakistan, first of all, has no urge or need to occupy Afghanistan's land. There is no logistic issues or unnecessary exposures to the enemy. And if Pak succeeds in forcing these Kandahari terrorists to seek refuge in mountains with targeted operations, other Afghan factions/warlords/ethnic groups will be quick to fill the vacuum and establish their own control/writ in Kabul.
In the absence of active support from Pakistanis living on Pak-Afghan border, these brainless idiots would barely survive on the mountains without food and arms supplies. Even if they somehow could survive in there and then try to sneak back to Afghan cities, other ruling Afghan factions would just chop their heads off at the first sighting.
